


...And the Path to Love

by GrumpyJenn



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Mild Sexual Content, T plus to M minus, Trust Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-08
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-03-11 03:16:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3311888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GrumpyJenn/pseuds/GrumpyJenn
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I'm a little leery about posting this second chapter. The reception for the first was nice, but I'm not sure how realistic this is... and I guess that's why they call it fiction.</p><p>But I got a terrible (and not at all constructive - just nasty) review on another story this morning, and it kind of threw me, so bear with me, dear readers; this is all for fun here.</p>
        </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AnagramRMX](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnagramRMX/gifts), [justlook3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/justlook3/gifts).



Jake couldn’t think.

This was not a common occurrence; generally Jake thought _too_ much, overcomplicated things.

But this time Jake couldn’t think because Cassie was kissing him.

And _Christ_ but she was good at it.

No, actually she was pretty unpracticed.

But oh, _God_ , she was enthusiastic.

“Cass…” he started, but his voice was muffled by her mouth, so he tried again. This wasn’t like her, and that scared him. He gripped her biceps gently and held her away from him. “Cassie… are you okay?”

She nodded, and Jake took a deep breath, because this _wasn’t_ like her. “Then what the hell are you _doing_?”

“I…” She looked lost for a moment, but then straightened… and backed a step away. “If you have to ask, then I’m doing it wrong,” she declared, trying hard for dignity, Jake thought. She failed, because what if… what if it wasn’t _her_ , if…

“How do I know you’re not under the influ…” Jake began, but he stopped as he saw the look on Cassie’s face. Hurt didn’t begin to cover it; she looked absolutely devastated, utterly bereft.

“Do you really think,” Cassie said in a high, shaky voice, “That after everything I did, everything you said to me after the Crown and the Sword… do you _really_ think…” She choked on a sob, gulped, and continued. “After all that do you really think I would let someone use me to… to hurt you or anyone else again?”

 _No_ , Jake thought, _I don’t think so. That’s not what I thought at all._ But God, the expression on her face, it was… _broken_ , as though he had hit her.

“Cass…”

She just stood there looking completely shattered, heedless of the tears trickling down her cheeks, and Jake knew he had to fix this right now, or they would never be friends again.

And he _did_ want to be her friend, and after all the kissing he thought he probably wanted more. More that he hadn't _let_ himself want all these months.

All he had to do was make her understand.

He took that one step toward her, and reached out to brush away a tear, and Cassie flinched. God, had he frightened her that badly, so badly she was braced for a physical blow? Jake dropped his hand and felt tears build in his eyes and a lump in his throat. “Cass.” _Quietly, Stone,_ he told himself, _she’s scared._ “Cassie, I never, _ever_ thought that. It never even crossed my mind.”

“B-but you said—“

“I know. I meant how do I know you’re not under the influence of some Artifact here in the Library?” Was she relaxing? Did she look slightly less wrecked than she had? Jake put his hand out again, very slowly, and thumbed away that tear.

This time Cassie did not flinch away; she just stood there looking steadily at him, and Jake trailed his hand gently down her arm to take her hand. “Come on. Let’s sit down.” Holding her hand as gently as he could, Jake led Cassandra to a reading room sofa.

They sat, and he didn’t let go of her hand.

And she didn’t look at him, keeping her gaze firmly in her lap.

This was going to be awkward. But it was up to him to start this conversation, Jake knew, because Cassie… well, she hadn’t been able to articulate what she wanted, so she had just thrown herself at him and kissed him senseless. At least he thought that was what had happened.

Jake brought the hand he held up to his lips and kissed the knuckles very, very gently. Gasping a little, laughing a little, Cassie glanced up at his face and back down again. “Cass,” Jake said softly, “Look at me.” She shook her head. “Come on, darlin’. It’s okay; I don’t bite.” He nibbled lightly on her knuckles. “Not unless you ask real nice anyway.”

“I…” She glanced up at him again, but this time their eyes met and held. “I don’t usually…”

“Launch yourself into my arms and kiss me? Why d’you think I was worried you might be under a… a spell or somethin’?” Jake paused for a moment, and took the opportunity to nibble a little more. “Why did you, then?”

“You… didn’t seem to… I…” She sighed and looked away again. “I thought you might notice me if I was a little more… obvious. I… I’ve been interested for a long time.”

She had? Jake cleared his throat. “Me, too,” he admitted, and their gazes caught again as she looked over in startlement.

“Really?” Her voice was tiny, and he nodded. “Why didn’t you…”

“Has t’be your choice, honey. Why didn’t _you_?”

“I… I was scared.” It was a whisper, and Jake felt that lump in his throat again. _Poor baby,_ he thought, _so lonely._

“Why?” _I really want to know what you're so afraid of, honey. Maybe I can help._

“Wh-what if you didn’t want me? It’s been so long since someone wanted me, I…” she trailed off, eyes going blank, and Jake released her hand to take her face in between his.

“Focus on me, darlin’. I got you.” He repeated it until she came out of it – thank God it was a short one – and caught her as she sagged. “Important one, honey?”

Cassie shook her head, weakly.

“Okay, then. You rest.” Jake got up as if to go, give her some privacy, but she caught his hand.

“Stay?” It was all she said, and how the hell could Jake resist that?

So he sat on the sofa, and pulled her half into his lap.

And eventually they both slept.


	2. Chapter 2

_Why me?_ Jake thought as he woke, and he didn’t realize he’d said it aloud until Cassie answered him.

“Don’t you know?”

“I really don’t.”

Cassie sat up, and although she was still sitting right next to him, Jake found that he missed the warm weight of her, slight as it was. She looked down at her hands, twisted together in her lap. “Because even when you’re angry with me you make sure I’m all right. Because you… you’re willing to admit you like me even when you can’t bring yourself to trust me.” She took a deep breath and looked Jake in the eye.”Because you aren’t afraid to touch me, even when I’m stuck doing math. I… you’d reach in and pull me out if you could.”

 _Oh, sweetheart,_ Jake thought. _You’re so lonely._ “I would,” he said hoarsely.

“You _have_ ,” she began, but the words were cut off as Jake kissed her.

She returned the kiss just as enthusiastically as she had before.

Oh, _God_ she was sweet.

Cassie’s hands wandered around his neck. Jake found his own hands had slipped out of her hair and down her arms, and when he brushed the backs of his thumbs across the tips of her breasts she shivered.

“Jake?” Her voice was shaky, and her lips trembled under his.

“Shh…”

But then she pulled away. Just slightly, but enough.

Jake had to swallow hard several times to find his voice. “You okay, darlin’?” _Tell me I didn’t hurt you or scare you or_ …

Cassie nodded, but dammit, she wasn’t meeting his eyes again, which meant she _wasn’t_ okay.

He swallowed a couple more times, trying to make his voice as nonthreatening as possible. “Do you want to stop?” _Please,_ please _don’t want to stop_.

“I don’t want to stop. But I… it’s been a very long time, Jake, and I… I’m…” She trailed off, and Jake thought _you’re scared, honey, if it’s been so long that… how long…?_

“How long, Cassie?”

At the question, her eyes started to go blank and her lips started moving the way they did when she went into a spell, so Jake took her face between his hands. “Cassie. Don’t go away, honey. Stay here, focus on me. I got you.” _Oh_ , he thought, _math – she’s_ _calculating the time_ … and he deliberately put a smile into his voice. “I know it’s numbers, honey, but I don’t need it to the minute. Ballpark’ll do.”

Her eyes cleared at least a little, and she stared at him instead of through him. “Two thousand, eight hundred thirty days and…” Jake kissed her – just a peck – on the tip of her nose and her gaze cleared further. She sighed. “Almost eight years,” she said, obviously rounding up to please him rather than giving him the exact length of time as she herself preferred.

 _Eight_ years _? She must’ve been barely legal, if that, and_ … Jake thought, but it didn’t matter, except that it meant they’d go extra slow.

If she still wanted this.

Slowly and carefully, Jake bent his head and kissed Cassie on the forehead, then eased back. “Darlin’, if you’re not sure, we don’t have to do this.” He managed a smile. “Not tonight, anyways.”

“Don’t you want…?” _You have no idea, honey…_

“Yeah, I want. But if you’re not ready, or if _you_ don’t want, then…”

“I want… I want you to touch me… but…”

 _Oh_ , Jake thought, _of course_. “But it’s been a long time. Feelin’ a little shy, darlin’? C’mere.” He kissed her forehead again, both cheeks, the tip of her nose, just feather light brushes against her skin.

Cassie’s eyes fluttered shut and her breath began to come a little faster. _God, so responsive_ , Jake thought, a little breathless himself, and then Cassie’s lips parted and he kissed her. “ _Jake_ …” It was a whisper, very close to a moan, and Jake had to remind himself to take it slow.

When Cassie reached for him, Jake captured her wrists in one hand. “Let me,” he murmured into her mouth, and when she nodded, he let go her wrists and slid his hand slowly up her arm until he reached one breast. She arched into the touch, and Jake felt his breath catch at the sight of her. _So beautiful,_ he thought, and heard the words come out of his mouth.

“I’m not.”

“You _are_ , Cassie. Trust…” he all but choked on the word, knowing he hadn’t trusted her; why should she trust him?

But she did trust him; that was obvious, as well as wanting him. And Jake felt… humbled. Eight years since she’d done this, and she was beautiful and intelligent and sweet. And choosy.

And she’d chosen _him_.

It didn’t matter if Cassie’d been too shy in the intervening eight years, or scared, or if it just hadn’t been worth the trouble to her; she wanted him, Jake, and Jake wanted her. No matter how much he’d tried not to.

“I trust you,” she whispered, and took his hand. She brought it to her mouth and nibbled on his fingertips, and Jake closed his eyes as he struggled to hold back, take it slow.

“Cass…” he heard himself breathe her name as she took one of his fingers into her mouth, and she let it go with a little pop, fastening her lips to his again.

And then it was all breathless sighs and murmuring whimpers, and sliding of skin against skin, until at last they came apart in each other’s arms.

“What took us so long?” Cassie asked sleepily, later. She was draped atop Jake, boneless, and it was clearly a rhetorical question, but Jake took it seriously.

“I didn’t trust.” He said it gently and quietly into her hair, not wanting to remind her, but apparently the past tense was enough, because she just snuggled a little deeper. “Or at least,” he continued, “I was _afraid_ to trust. And you were afraid to...”

“To trust,” Cassie admitted. “To trust that you would want me, the crazy one who has fits. Nobody else did.”

“The pretty one with the amazing mind,” Jake corrected. “Everyone else was stupid,” and Cassie lifted her head enough to smile at him.

“You asked _why you_ , earlier,” she said. “That’s why. When you’re near, I’m the pretty one with the amazing mind more than the crazy one who has fits. You… you keep me _here_ , even when I’m stuck doing math. I know there’s something for me here in the real world.”

“Anytime,” Jake said, and he meant it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little leery about posting this second chapter. The reception for the first was nice, but I'm not sure how realistic this is... and I guess that's why they call it fiction.
> 
> But I got a terrible (and not at all constructive - just nasty) review on another story this morning, and it kind of threw me, so bear with me, dear readers; this is all for fun here.


End file.
